Geografico Borgo Alla Terra Chianti / 2023 / 750mL

The Geografico Borgo Alla Terra Chianti 2023 is a bright, medium-bodied Sangiovese-based red from Tuscany, built on sour cherry and savoury herb rather than plushness. It is a classic Italian table red: fresh, dry and made to be drunk with food rather than studied.

Sour morello cherry leads the aroma, with dried thyme, red plum skin and a faint waft of tomato leaf behind it. The palate follows the nose closely, adding a squeeze of cranberry and a dusty, almost earthy note that keeps the fruit from turning sweet.

Structurally this is a lean, well-balanced Chianti. Acidity is the driver, tannins are fine and slightly chalky, and the finish is dry and quite short in the best sense, leaving the mouth clean and asking for another sip rather than lingering with weight.

Food does the rest. Pour it with ragù, a margherita pizza, grilled lamb cutlets, salumi and pecorino, or a Tuesday-night bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Serve it just under room temperature — around 16 degrees — and the aromatics sharpen noticeably.

Drink the Borgo Alla Terra Chianti 2023 now and over the next three to four years. There is enough acid to carry it a little further, but the appeal here is youthful fruit and freshness, so there is no reward for waiting.